Download Free Python Cartographic Library (PCL)

Python Cartographic Library (PCL) - Python is rapidly becoming the language of choice for GIS programming. At the fore of this movement have been AVPython, OpenEV, and Python bindings for GDAL and OGR. On their heels, ESRI now distributes Python with Arc 9 and other commercial vendors are following suit.

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Since 2003 I have been the lead developer on the Python, Perl, and Java bindings for MapServer known as "mapscript". In that time I have added a ton of new features, eliminated leaks, and made mapscript safe for threaded use. For me, however, mapscript remains cumbersome and awkward to use with Python, and will always be so. I've been itching for something better for more than a year.

I've resigned myself to loving mapscript for what it is and will be scratching my itch by moving on to a new and more Python-friendly module for cartographic programming. The objectives of this Python cartographic library are:

Match the mapping capabilities of MapServer

Explicit programming, less "map file" scripting

Model classes after well known, standard, domain objects

Mapping capabilities

PCL will match the features of MapServer by using that software as one of its possible mapping engines. It is the only engine available now, but could be joined by any number of others.
Explicit programming

Usage of MapServer's mapscript is very much like map file scripting: set the values of many interdependent parameters and hit the "go" button. Now, I'm not against run-time app configuration in the style of MapServer's map file, but I'd like a more explicit library for programming with an API that is fully separated from the run-time configuration.
Well known objects

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